Austrian Grand Prix: Tickets, the best grandstands, where to stay and how to get there

Every year, the picturesque region of Styria welcomes Formula 1 to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.

While the scenery may be peaceful, the action on track certainly is not. Over the past few seasons, the race has served up some season highlights and has fast become one of the most anticipated races on the calendar.

And although its location in the Styrian mountain lends itself to some stunning race views for fans in the grandstands, it does make travel and accommodation for the race slightly trickier than city centre grands prix.

But fear not. This guide will get you up to speed with the best routes to take, which grandstands to sit in and where to stay for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Where is the best place to buy Austrian Grand Prix tickets?

Tickets for the Austrian Grand Prix are available with many ticket operators and resellers. We recommend Motorsport Tickets, an official ticket agent for major racing events, who work directly with the circuit to secure ticket bookings. You’ll be able to find the full selection of race ticket, accommodation and hospitality options discussed in this article, and you’ll receive a free content pack with your purchase. That includes access to Autosport Plus, which will keep you up to date before the big race.

Where are the best grandstands at the Austrian Grand Prix?

While the Red Bull Ring is the shortest lap time on the calendar, its elevation lends itself to having some of the best views of any F1 race. There are grandstands located right around the circuit, with some having views of more than half of the track.

Grandstands available for the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

Photo by: Motorsport Tickets

Red Bull Grandstand

• Covered?: No
• Disabled access: Yes, Red Bull A
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turns 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7
• Access: Five-minute walk from the main entrance

The Red Bull Grandstand is the largest stand at the circuit. It lines the uphill climb from Turns 1 to 2, and such is the elevation of the circuit, which offers views across all three sectors of the lap. You’ll see the cars speed along the straight from Turn 1 all the way up to Turn 3, then they’ll reappear again as they come back downhill through Turns 6 and 7. In terms of the amount of a lap you can see from a single spot, there isn’t a spot in Formula 1 where you’ll see more from. The stand is divided into several blocks, with block A located closest to Turn 1, and block P is closer to the kink of Turn 2.

Steiermark (South-West) Grandstand

• Covered?: No
• Disabled access: No
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turns 1, 2 and (distantly) 3
• Access: Five-minute walk from the main entrance

The Steiermark Grandstand is adjacent to Turn 1. At the end of the start-finish straight, the cars will turn for the first corner in front of you, and fans get a great view of the drivers powering up towards Turns 2 and 3. This is also where any first lap drama is likely to take place, as the grandstand is in front of the large run-off area. The pit exit also filters onto the circuit in front of this grandstand, so fans can keep an eye on the all-important under/over-cut strategies.

Start-Finish Grandstand

• Covered?: Yes
• Disabled access: Yes
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turns 1 and 10
• Access: Close to the entrance gate

The Main Grandstand at the Red Bull Ring lines almost the entire length of the start-finish straight. A relatively short straight by Formula 1’s standards, fans soak up the atmosphere pre-race, oversee the pitstops, and - as one of three DRS zones – witness the drivers lining up an overtake. Given the short circuit length and undulation in Austria, the upper rows of the grandstand also offer views of Turns 2 and 3 – but you might need binoculars for this view.

T10 Grandstand

• Covered?: No
• Disabled access: No
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turns 9 and 10
• Access: Five-minute walk from the entrance

As the drivers sweep through the final sector, the T10 Grandstand overlooks the very final turn. The drivers will be lining up moves on the start-finish straight, and fans in this stand can see if they’ve pulled them off by Turn 1. It’s also the location of the pit entry, so you’ll see if a driver decides to trigger a major strategy call.

North Grandstand

• Covered?: Yes
• Disabled access: No
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turn 4
• Access: 15-minute walk from the entrance

The North grandstand is located at the hill, with a view of Turn 4 at the end of the straight. This is a key overtaking zone and a major action area, as Alex Albon found out in 2020 as he was sent spinning when trying to overtake Lewis Hamilton. You’ll see the cars bomb towards the corner along the long back straight against the picturesque Styrian backdrop.

Mitte Grandstand

• Covered?: No
• Disabled access: No
• View of big screen?: Yes
• Corners viewable from stands: Turns 2, 3, 5 and 6
• Access: 10-minute walk from entrance

This grandstand is directly opposite the large Red Bull Grandstand, and underneath the giant bull statue. It’s predominantly a meeting place for Max Verstappen’s army of fans, and as such, usually adorned in orange all weekend It’s placed between turns 5 and 6, but you’ll also have a view of the straight between Turns 1 and 3.

General admission

General admission at the Red Bull Ring is a great way to soak up the atmosphere of the Austrian Grand Prix. The main general admission zone lines the long back straight, as fans line up along the elevated grass verge on the outside of the circuit. This is where the cars reach their top speed along the lap and is full of action. Turn 3 is often the scene of the race’s most controversial moments, including Max Verstappen’s winning overtake in 2019.

General admission is the cheapest way to see the race, and while it might not be as comfortable as a reserved spot in a grandstand, it does provide a more relaxed way to see the race.

To get more information on the grandstands at the Red Bull Ring, check out Motorsport Tickets’ grandstand guide.

How much do Austrian Grand Prix tickets cost?

Tickets for the Austrian Grand Prix range from £255 for weekend grandstand ticket to £458 for stands like Red Bull A, or Steiermark grandstands.

• Red Bull Grandstand weekend tickets: from £181
• Start-Finish Grandstand weekend tickets: from £366
• Steiermark Grandstand weekend tickets: from £458
• T10 Grandstand weekend tickets: from £255

General admission tickets are as little as £88 for the entire weekend.

Families, rejoice. Child tickets (under 14) are free for all grandstands, making the Austrian Grand Prix an affordable race to introduce the little ones to Formula 1.

Getting to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix

By air

The closest international airport to the Red Bull Ring is Vienna International Airport. Flights from London are available from three different airports: Gatwick with Easyjet, Stansted with Eurowings and Heathrow with British Airways. Return flights will cost between £100 and £150.

Vienna International is approximately 200km from the circuit. You can hire a car and drive to the track. Along the Autobahn (take the E59, exit at Bruck a. d. Mur for S6, continue onto the S36, then take exit 24 towards Spielberg), the route will take around two hours, but does utilise toll roads. Public transport will take around three-and-a-half hours, with the majority of the journey on the high-speed RJ train line, which will get you from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Knittelfeld in 2 hours 20 minutes. The circuit is a 12-minute journey from the station via bus 846.

Austrian Airlines also operate domestic flights from Vienna to Graz Airport, which is just an hour’s drive via the A9 and S36. This smaller airport could also be utilised for fans from Zurich, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Munich, among others.

By car

A drive from London to the Red Bull Ring in Austria is a mighty one, but fans could build a European road trip into their journey. In total, the 900-mile trip will take just over 16 hours and pass through France, Belgium and Germany. Fans can build their own road-trip route and make stops in Brussels, Munich, Nuremberg, or Salzburg along the way, but should check local restrictions on passing between different countries.

Once you reach Austrian soil, use the A8 (via Wels) or A10 and 320 (via Salzburg) to connect to the A9. This will take you to the 133-Knoten St Michael junction. The circuit is a 20-minute drive via the S36. The Red Bull Ring is a short distance from exit 24. There is no parking at the circuit itself (unless booked with camping) but is available free of charge next to the S36 exit – a 15-minute walk to the circuit.

Where are the best places to stay at the Austrian Grand Prix?

Given its rural location away from major towns, camping is an option for most fans visiting for the race. There are seven campsites at the Red Bull Ring, all within walking distance of the circuit. These vary from campsites for pitching your own tent or caravan, to premium camping with pre-erected tents, exclusive bars and live entertainment across the weekend.

Standard camping

There are six standard campsites at the Red Bull Ring: Blue, Red, Yellow, Purple, Orange and Pink. Tickets for these sites can be booked for Wednesday – Monday, with options to arrive as late as Friday and leave as early as Sunday. They entitle you to a camping pitch for two to five people, which will be 30m^2. This includes a parking space for one vehicle, and any adults camping- children under 14 camp free. You’ll need to book your race admittance ticket separately.

Toilet and shower facilities are available at every campsite, and electricity connections are also included in the price of the pitch. If you’ll need power, it’s recommended to take an extension lead as access to power points can be limited. You should also bear in mind that while BBQs are permitted on the campsites, electric cooking equipment is not, nor are open fires.

Each of the campsites is located close to the circuit, as follows:

• Blue: Behind the Red Bull Grandstands, 10-minute walk from the circuit.
• Red: Behind the Main Grandstand, 5-minute walk from the circuit.
• Yellow: Behind Main Grandstand, 2-minute from the circuit.
• Purple: Behind Main Grandstand, 7-minute walk from the circuit.
• Orange: Behind turn 9, 10-minute walk to the circuit.
• Pink: Behind turn 4, 15-minute walk to circuit.

Tickets start at £162 for two people for three nights and range up to £391 for five people for five nights.

Premium camping

Premium camping is available at the Pink Premium campsite. This is located about a 15-minute walk from the circuit but includes upgraded shower and toilet facilities, live entertainment at its bars, and the option to book a pre-erected tent.

A tent pitch for two in Camping Pink Premium starts at £200, but a raft of options are available if you aren’t taking your own equipment. A Louts Belle tipi-style tent, with 18m² floor space, can sleep up to six people, with sleeping bags, camp beds and power connections included. The price for three nights starts at £1,245.

Bunk beds are also available through the Cosy Event Lodges. These cabins sleep up to four people across two bunk beds, and include mattresses, linen and a lock for safekeeping. For three nights, the cost is £1,188.

The Pink Premium campsite

Photo by: Motorsport Tickets

If you decide to pitch a tent or park a motorhome yourself, bear in mind there are two zones at this campsite: the Green Zone and the Orange Zone. The Green Zone is the family zone, and usually quieter than the Orange zone, where the fans are renowned for their race weekend parties.

More information on the different camping options, including prices, can be found at Motorsport Tickets.

Why is the Austrian Grand Prix such a popular race?

The short nature of the Red Bull Ring circuit means more laps are run during the race to hit the 300km distance. For fans, this means more opportunities to see the cars pass in front of the grandstands than at races with a longer lap distance.

Red Bull Ring also has great camber. The charge up to turn three has huge elevation to the back straight before the cars drop down through sectors two and three. For fans in the Red Bull Grandstand especially, this means you can see the cars for around 50% of the lap, which is a higher proportion than most Formula 1 circuits.

More visibility of a single lap and more laps in total means fans who make the trip to Austria are rewarded with maximum on-track action

Photo by: Sutton Images

Is the Austrian Grand Prix an exciting race?

The Austrian Grand Prix has garnered a reputation as one of the more anticipated races on the calendar. When racing returned for the 2020 season, two races were scheduled to open the season – albeit behind closed doors. Valtteri Bottas won the race, but there was drama as Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton collided. Albon’s race was ruined, and Hamilton picked up a penalty, which handed Lando Norris his first-ever F1 podium.

Dutch Max Verstappen fans storm the track to celebrate the victory of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

And in 2019, the large Dutch contingent who regularly travel to the Austrian race were rewarded with a win for Max Verstappen. After a tense race that saw Verstappen barge Charles Leclerc off the track to take the lead, the Dutch fans erupted and raced to the grid to celebrate below the podium.